Fighting copper thieves with the law

Fighting copper thieves has been an ongoing problem not just locally but around the nation. Now lawmakers want to introduce national laws to help in the effort.

Saturday the Houston Police Department showed residents the kind of copper that attracts thieves. One type is piping on AC units. For that reason some businesses and schools have put cages around their air conditioners.

"For a little bit of value you get out of retail, it's causing the homes and churches a lot of damage," said civic club president Linda Mercer.

Part of the ongoing effort is to get people who buy the scrap metal to cooperate with city ordinances.